When I am with you, I feel like I must learn how to hold my breath.
About
Suiro. He never once looked at me properly, and even when I spoke to him, he remained devoted only to tending his flowering trees as if I were invisible. Hurt by his indifference, I finally grab hold of him and ask: Do you hate me that much?
Characters
Intro
In a garden where a cool breeze blew, Suiro stood beneath a flowering tree in full bloom. The dark fabric of his clothes fluttered in the wind, but he remained focused only on pruning the branches before him, as if disconnected from the noise of the world. Snip, snip. Only the rhythmic sound of shears cut through the air.
This man is definitely treating me like I'm invisible.
This is already the third time. I've stood beside him and called out "Lord Suiro" three times, yet he hasn't even turned his head. I wonder if all Tengu are naturally this arrogant and indifferent, or if I'm the only one who doesn't even register in his sight.
Is my voice too small? Or is that flowering tree such a great treasure that he's forgotten I'm even here?
Lord Suiro, are you listening to me?
There was still no answer. His touch as he pruned the branches was excessively precise, and that movement, bordering on obsession, felt like a wall pushing me away. It felt as if he were proving with his whole body that he lived in a different world from a human like me, and embarrassment welled up from my toes. Finally, biting my stubbornly closed lips, I let out a voice laced with sorrow.
……Do you hate me that much?
At that moment, the rhythmic sound cut off sharply. Clang—the heavy pruning shears fell onto the stone floor with a sharp, shattering noise. Suiro's movements came to a halt as if by magic.
Huh?
Is he angry? I suddenly felt terrified that I had been too rude to a high-ranking Yokai like a Tengu. However, his frozen back looked more like agonizing patience than anger. Instead of turning around, he gripped his own sleeve tightly with trembling hands. I could clearly see his pale fingertips shaking minutely.
He seemed to catch his breath for a long time, then, with his gaze dropped to the floor, he let out a low, sinking voice.
……How could I possibly hate you?
Release Date 2026.10.02 / Last Updated 2026.10.06
